Oh Boy, Oregon

When Rachel got to town, we wasted no time. We picked her up at the airport in Reno, NV, "the biggest little city." Her mother generously booked us a room at the Circus Circus for the night, because her flight got in late. We took advantage of our casino surroundings and tried out the free drinks, the slots, and Kyle got on the Blackjack table for a little bit. We all came out with less than we arrived with... as usual. We had a slow start leaving the hotel the next morning and were in no rush to make the hour drive back to Tahoe. We passed an unique looking vintage store called Junkee, who's front display lured us as we drove by with colorful J-U-N-K-E-E letters and a giant clothing hanger. We went back to check it out and it did not disappoint. With racks and racks of decently priced vintage clothes, to antiques in glass displays, and new costume attire, this store could keep you busy for a while! We didn't make it far before our second stop--- In-N-Out. It's the perfect way to welcome a burger-lover to the West coast. Of course we got our burgers animal style and our fries animal style as well, but hold the spread. In-N-Out has a very simple menu, but there is a "secret" menu so to say. Better go with someone who's in the know, or order what I just said because that is the way to go!! Rachel was in burger heaven, but apparently she's eaten too many burgers since she's been out here so she's taking a break.

Redwood chillin'.

Our road trip through the Pacific Northwest began soon after Rachel's arrival. We left from Tahoe and drove around 8 hours to the Redwood National Forest. We were going to camp at the same place we stayed at on our road trip, but we kept going a little farther. As we were cruising along Freeway 101, we saw a scenic route for old Highway 101, a 31 mile stretch known as "Avenue of the Giants," so we hopped off and enjoyed the sights. Imagine a road literally surrounded by the tallest trees you can imagine! It's surreal! At the beginning of the scenic route, there is a brochure you can pick up that explains the important stops along the way. We didn't think the points of interest were very clearly marked, but we did manage to stop at one: the Mahan Plaque. This plaque is dedicated to the Mahans, who in 1924 took a stand when the surrounding Redwoods were going to be logged. If it weren't for them, this beautiful forest around us might not be here. This is also the start of a short .8 mile loop trail, where there has been an alleged Big Foot sighting. We ended up snagging a campsite at state park called Van Duzen: Swimmer's Delight, along the Van Duzen River. It was late when we arrived and we rolled out early, so we evaded the $20 camping fee. Many official Redwood campsites are completely booked in the summer, so it is important to either book ahead or be flexible! There was another campsite not too far up the road from Van Duzen, but it was a bit more expensive if I recall. Both of these campsites have river access, but we didn't stay long enough to explore. A great place to rest for the night though! Kyle cooked us a delightful veggie pasta and we went to bed all carbed up for our hikes tomorrow. 

A great photo spot along the Tall Trees Trail.

Fern Canyon in the summer.

Since the two hikes we did with Rachel are the same ones we did on our road trip, I won't go into too much detail. Just know they are amazing and obviously worth doing more than once! We did the 4 mile roundtrip Tall Trees Grove and the short stroll through Fern Canyon. It is interesting to see a trail in different seasons. For instance, last time we were here it was Easter and raining. The spring made the forest look rich and green, the rain making the moss heavy with moisture. It was definitely drier in July on these trails. I was especially excited to see Fern Canyon again, because many of the ferns had not recovered from winter and were still brown when we were here last. This area was more alive than in the spring. The walls were covered with thriving ferns! I can see why they would film clips of Jurassic Park here! After our hikes, we were off to Oregon! The drive along the most northern of California's coast is absolutely breathtaking. The rocky cliff shoreline makes you feel like you are in a foreign land like Portugal or Ireland. It was foggy as we were driving through, giving the coast an eerie, ancient look. We stopped in Crescent City, CA for dinner at The Good Harvest Cafe, which was one of about 4 restaurant choices in this quaint seaside town. Our meals were all over the top--- Rachel's 16 oz. steak, my chicken cordon bleu, and Kyle's seafood pasta. Definitely recommend stopping through this gem if you are ever passing through. We made it to Grant's Pass for the night and stayed at another campsite that we stumbled across late and left early... gotta love a free place to crash! 

Cloudy day at Crater Lake.

Crater Lake was our plan for the day, but the weather wasn't complying. It started storming soon after we arrived. We had planned to hike up Garfield's Peak, which is a short, but strenuous hike that rewards you with awesome views of Crater Lake and it's two major features, Wizard's Island and Phantom Ship. We didn't get to do the hike, but maybe next time! Instead, we waited out the weather and drove up to the only "legal" access to the shore of Crater Lake, Cleetwood Cove. The hike down is short, but steep!! The cool waters of Crater Lake are refreshing and rewarding (and also still cold) when you make it down. Cleetwood Cove is the location of the only dock on Crater Lake and where you go if you want to take a boat tour. Crater Lake is a captivating place. The lake is bluer than blue and from a good vantage point, you can see all the varying shades where the lake changes depths. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet. The water fills a volcanic depression (known as a caldera) that formed when Mount Mazama erupted thousands of years ago. That night, we camped in the park at the Mazama Village Campground, where I had booked a reservation. For $23 a night, this campsite was a steal! It was centrally located near the park and there were trails and rivers within walking distance. Plus a camp store with local craft brews, coin-operated showers, and plenty of wood already at the campsite! 

Tamolitch Pool.

Our next stop was the Willamette National Forest to camp near the McKenzie River. We snagged our spot at the Ollalie @ McKenzie Bridge Campground, where I had reserved a site for less than $20. It was a nice campground with composting toilets and a well for pumping water. After we got settled, we set off to find Tamolitch Pool, which is also known simply as Blue Pool for it's astonishingly blue water. Tamolitch is a Chinook word for "tub" or "bucket," which is a fitting name. The hike round trip is only 4 miles, but the 2 in felt longer as we anticipated Tamolitch Pool. The hike along the way passes through a dense forest, covered in moss (that seems to be a theme out here), over a wooden bridge, and past basalt lava flows that look like the ruins of a forgotten civilization. Even though the water is a staggering 37 degrees, we all hopped in because how can you resist that water?!

Too bad it looks like the Caribbean, but doesn't feel like it. Tamolitch Pool is actually the point where the McKenzie River "reappears" after it's course was disrupted by a volcanic eruption. The basalt lava flow that remains in the wake of the eruption is very porous and prevents the river from following it's original course unless there is plenty of rainfall or snowfall. So instead, during drier months, the river flows beneath the surface for approximately 3.5 miles, disappearing at the Carmen Resevoir and reappearing here at Tamolitch Pool. During times of heavy flow, there is a waterfall flowing into the pool called Tamolitch Falls. Since we were visiting in July, there was no sign of a waterfall other than the smooth river rocks it usually runs over. I learned about the history of the pool through another blog written by Steven Michael, called Oregon - Like No Other. It's really educational and awesome. Check it out here, if you want more about Oregon! We made some friends by the pool and hung out, enjoying the stillness of the perfectly reflective surface of Tamolitch Pool. We had planned to visit a hot spring later that evening, but were all pretty pooped. There are a few springs in the area. I believe you have to pay to access Belknap Hot Springs, but I believe there are some free, natural ones such as Bigelow (Deer Creek) Hot Springs. Go find them and let me know how they are!!

A Leprechaun's dream. 

The next day was probably my favorite spot on the trip, the Opal Creek Wilderness. We had to have a wilderness pass ($5) for this trail, which can either be filled out at the trailhead or obtained at a ranger's station. Oregon has some of the most insanely blue and crystal clear water I have ever seen. I mean Crater Lake, Tamolitch Pool, Opal Creek, Eagle Creek, the list goes on!! We did a 7 mile round trip along the Little North Fork of the Santiam River to the ghost town of Jawbone Flats. For the majority of the trial, you are walking along a gravel road, which is the original road to Jawbone Flats. There are 12 people who live in Jawbone Flats to maintain the town and they still use the road today. Some of the old cabins are available for rent. Along the trail, we couldn't walk 5 feet without wanting to stop for a quick dip in the glistening water. In the very beginning of the trail, you go over a 60 ft. bridge that crosses Gold Creek and a pool so emerald green a Leprechaun must live there. We stopped to swim and played in the natural water slides. We saw the coolest bright orange salamander or newt, I've been trying to ID it, but many of them look similar. The next point of interest along the trail is the Merten Mill, a sawmill that was built in 1943 with parts of the U.S.S. Battleship Oregon. This area was going to be logged, but it turned out to be unprofitable, so now it's just a bunch of forgotten mining and logging equipment rusting in the forest.

Cascada de los Ninos

Close by is Cascada de los Ninos or Waterfall of the Children. This was my favorite swim spot along the trail. The pool beneath the waterfall has a sandy bottom and rocks to bask on. I brought my Scuba goggles and explored beneath the surface, chasing the juvenile Chinook Salmon. Closer to the town of Jawbone Flats, we passed another alluring pool with a long natural slide. We strolled through the ghost town, where there wasn't much going on (obviously). Opal Pool is the swimming hole that the 12 residents of Jawbone Flats frequent, so we went to check it out. The river has cut a deep ravine through the rocky banks. I absolutely love gorges: something about the power of water, winding and cutting it's route through stone. From abandoned mines, a mill, a ghost town, so many swim spots, and an old growth forest this is a trail for the books!

South Falls.

Since the campsite we planned to stay at next, Silver Falls State Park, was booked, we splurged on a hotel with a hot tub!! We had to pamper ourselves for our longest hike yet, the Trail of Ten Falls. It's a little less than 10 miles and has 10 waterfalls along the trail: South Falls (177 ft.), Lower South Falls (93 ft.), Lower North Falls (30 ft.), Double Falls (178 ft.), Drake Falls (27 ft.), Middle North Falls (106 ft.), Winter Falls (134 ft.), Twin Falls (31 ft.), North Falls (136 ft.), and Upper North Falls (65 ft.). We discovered that Winter Falls only falls in the winter when there is more precipitation, hence the name... Don't expect to see that one if you come in the summer. The trail is inside Silver Falls State Park and is very popular, which is why the state park was booked. If you plan on camping here, BOOK AHEAD!! There is a five dollar pass you have to purchase for day access to the park, so be aware. All the waterfalls were spectacular, but when you are seeing so many they all kind of blur together! Especially when the names aren't too creative... I mean Upper North Falls, Middle North Falls, North Falls!! How am I supposed to remember which is which?! We stopped at swim spots and ate lunch under a waterfall. Along the trail, we met a furry rodent friend who was gathering ferns and clovers for his home under a log. We got some great footage of him foraging! We did the trail much faster than we predicted and headed to Portland for the night. I found us a place to couch surf through a Ween fan page I am a member of on Facebook called the Ween Appreciation Site (or WAS). Again, if you haven't listened to the band, Ween, check them out now! The guy we stayed with is named Nate and he was asking the members of the Ween Appreciation Site to send him a dollar to his house in Portland if they wanted to help him see Rush, who are doing their 40th anniversary tour this year. I messaged him telling him how we needed a place to stay in Portland and we'd throw him some cash for his tickets. He agreed and boom! A place to stay in Portland! Our experience was that the hostels fill up on the weekends, so if you are looking for a reasonably priced place to stay in Portland, book ahead. Nate took us to a hip downtown area of Portland, where we were passing stores like Poplandia (that sells gourmet popcorn) and the Salt & Straw (which was an ice cream place with a line down the block). We got beers with his roommates at a place called 21st Avenue Bar and Grill. They had a nice outdoor patio where I enjoyed the best beef stroganoff I've ever had. What do you call a masturbating cow? Beef strokin' off, hehe. Someone at Phish told me that joke when I was telling them about the amazing meal I had in Portland. After the beers on the patio, we went back Nate's and played a video drinking game called Drunk Driving on Nintendo 64. It's a Mario Kart game where you have to finish your beer before you cross the finish line, BUT you can't drive your race car while you drink. Thus making you pause every sip you take. And a beer per race gets ya quick! Nate ended up getting all the money for the Rush tickets before we arrived, so he didn't ask us for anything. He even gave up his bed for us! What an awesome dude. We bought him some beers to thank him for all his hospitality. I love my Ween family. <3

In the morning, we couldn't resist driving across the border into Washington to visit a recreational marijuana store. We found one in downtown Vancouver, WA called High End Market Place. That just happens to stand for hemp. Going into a shop is definitely an experience: there is a "barista" to help you with your purchases (we had a lovely lady named Morgan help us), a menu of strains, pre-rolled joints, edibles, pieces, deals of the day, AND you can smell anything you want! We left the store with 2 pre-rolls of a strain called Allen Wrench (which was the deal of a day for only $10!!), an 1/8th of Purple Kush, a 420 Bar, and some brownies. We noticed some commotion downtown as we were leaving the store. It happened to be a car show called Cruisin' the Gut! The sun was out and making all those classic bodies sparkle. We left Washington en route to our campsite near Hood River, OR. The summer in the Columbia River Gorge can get pretty busy. Two nearby sites, Wyeth Campground and Eagle Creek Campground, were both booked for the nights we needed to stay! Luckily, Wyeth Campground had an overflow lot where you are allowed to set up your tent. You can't have fires there, but we didn't mind 'cause we have the camp stove. We would have loved to have stayed at Eagle Creek Campground, because it's literally a stone's throw from the Eagle Creek trailhead, which was the hike we would be doing the next day. If you plan on doing this trail, camping here would be ideal, so book ahead in the summer if you want to secure a spot. Wyeth was a good alternative and we were thankful for the place to rest. Kyle was eager to get to Rotary Skatepark in Hood River, so we headed that way. Along the way, we stopped at The Juicy Blue, a u-pick berry farm. Berry picking was so lovely! The farm was down a dead end road. The air smelled of lavender and sun ripened berries. The picking is based on the honor system and you leave your money in a deposit box (it's $3 a pound, bring cash or check). They had three types of berries available when we were there: currants, haskaps, and blueberries. We came just at the right time because the berries were at the end of their growth season. The next morning we made blueberry pancakes and they were delicious!! Did you know that Oregon is one the leading producers of berries? While Kyle was at the skatepark, Rachel and I went and took a dip in the Columbia River. I hadn't swam in the river yet because it was so cold last time we were here. The water was perfect on that hot July day. We got iced coffees afterwards at Doppio, a coffee shop I've blogged about before! It's THAT good. We got Kona Mocha smoothies and an Oregon Berry one for Kyle. I highly recommend ordering both of those. 

My favorite place, view of Punchbowl Falls in the distance.

In the morning, I drove to Portland to pick up an old friend, Brittany, so we could all hike the Eagle Creek Trail together. We hadn't seen each other since 9th grade! We hiked 12 miles round trip to get to Tunnel Falls. Kyle and I did some of this trail on our road trip, but only 2 miles in. There is so much more to see! Keep going!! The first sight along the trail is Metlako Falls (240 ft.), which is only visible from a vista on a short side trail. About 2 miles in, you reach my favorite part of the trail: Punchbowl Falls (35 ft.). Although there are signs that say no jumping, there are multiple spots to jump off of Lower Punchbowl Falls (15 ft.) and one off of Punchbowl (35 ft.). Rach and I jumped off the smallest one and Kyle did the biggest one off Lower Punchbowl. It's crazy last time we were here, we were in wetsuits and it was pins and needles cold. It wasn't enjoyable to be in the water. The heat of July allowed me to float, belly up, in the refreshing water in only a bikini! I swam up the gorge into the punchbowl that gives Punchbowl Falls it's name. The water is crystal clear, perfect for seeing the colorful river stones along the bottom. It feels like a place out of a fairy tale. Next you pass the most beautiful view of all time: Loowit Falls (90 ft.). The water flows down a smooth rock face into a perfectly circle pool carved in the stone by water. It is on my to-do list to swim in that pool!! 

Kyle in the tunnel at Tunnel Falls.

We ate lunch at Skoonichuk Falls before making it all the way to Tunnel Falls (160 ft.). Apparently, there is another waterfall along the trail that is only visible during the wetter months. We were all exhausted and out of water when we reached our destination. We resorted to drinking water from the fresh waterfall trickles. It tasted great!! We rested in the damp shade of the tunnel, which felt like AC compared to being out in the sun. Trail builders in the early 1900s blasted this hole through the rock behind the falls so that you could walk through, hence why it's called Tunnel Falls. We hiked quickly on the way back because we could hear our tummies starting to growl. We dropped Brittany off at a bus station so she could get back to Portland. On our way back, along the Historic Columbia River Highway, we stopped at a restaurant called Shirley's Tippy Canoe. We ordered a beer and realized it was way out of our price range, so we paid and continued the search for food. If you don't have a budget, Shirley's looked really delicious and was along a river. The outside seating had tables completely made of stone. Impressive... Our food hunt brought us to Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom, which specializes in pizza and beer. We ordered the Truffle Shuffle, a pizza featuring goat cheese, mozzarella, and portobello mushrooms marinated in truffle oil. We ordered another pizza and wished we had gotten two of the first, so I highly recommend it! As for the beer, I'm not really a connoisseur, so I can't speak on that. Did you know Oregon has the most breweries per capita in the United States? Beer lovers, get out here!

We left for Bend and got settled at our spot by the creek for the next three nights at Sisters Creekside Campground. Even though the site was 30 minutes from the venue where we'd be seeing Phish the next two nights, for $15 a night, we couldn't beat it. They had hot showers and we had a creek-front spot! We made Jell-O shots on our camping stove that night, so we could sell them on lot. That's dedication. We were nervous how the congealing would turn out in just a cooler with ice versus a refrigerator, but it worked great in case you ever need to make Jell-O shots while camping in the future. We only made a hundred compared to our usual three hundred, because we weren't sure what the lot scene would be like. Actually, no one did. This was the first time Phish played at the Les Schwab Amphitheater, let alone in the town of Bend. The next day, we parked in a lot that looked like it was part of a Hampton Inn and Suites, but was actually event parking. It ended up turning into the smallest Shakedown I've ever seen, but it was a Shakedown none-the-less. I picked up a couple Ween pins off my friends, Sage and Michelle, who I originally met in Colorado at show and have since seen them around the country! You can find some of their work on the Boognish Rising Pin Group on Facebook. Music is incredible in the way it brings people together! I love running into the same faces over and over. The venue was super small and everyone was looking for tickets. Once we heard how good soundcheck sounded from the parking lot we were hanging out in, we stopped looking for tickets. We ended up raging both nights in a gravel overflow lot right behind the hotel. If you ever want to see a show here and it's sold out, GO ANYWAY! It was so much fun dancing with 100+ other people who didn't have tickets. The first night, we got a Sample in a Jar, Sand, 555, Ghost, Birds of a Feather, Mike's Song, Weekapaug Groove, and Boogie on Reggae Woman, + more. The second night, we got a Stash, Simple, First Tube, Bathtub Gin, + more. What a run!!

Hanging out with Curt Kirkwood, the guitarist
from Meat Puppets.

We had one night to chill before Phish's next show at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA. We had to drive 8 hours home from Bend and then make 300 Jell-O shots for lot the next day, so we didn't get to chill that much. It was still nice to sleep in a bed after our extending camping trip. Our friends who had been to Shoreline before assured us we'd have no problem getting rid of 300 shots, and they were right! Shoreline was a rager!! It was even more fun because we had a crew! Our friends had seat tickets though and we had lawn, so we parted ways once we got inside. We got an amazing spot on the lawn though, right on the rail. Phish proceeded to SLAY it, opening with a Moma Dance and proceeding with songs like Yarmouth Road, 46 Days, Reba, Twist, a jammed out Light, and a Harry Hood encore. Check out the full setlist here. After the show, we got to go rage at our friend's mansion in San Francisco. We stayed up till the wee hours of the morning listening to records in a room with vaulted ceilings and luxurious, lacy draperies. It was dreamy. Even though our friend was continuing on Phish tour to LA, he let us stay at his house so we could see the Meat Puppets the next day at The Independent. The Meat Puppets are an 80s band, who never received much recognition despite Nirvana covering three Meat Puppets' songs on their MTV Unplugged album. Seriously, if you jam out to Nirvana's versions of Plateau, Oh Me, and Lake of Fire then you have to listen to the original!! Meat Puppets kill it and they did not disappoint the night we saw them. They played some of my favorites, including Aurora Borealis II, Lake of Fire, Up on the Sun, Plateau, and Maiden's Milk. Unfortunately, they were the opening band. The next band that came on was called Soul Asylum and we were not feeling it... You can't put something so boy-band after something so psychedelic. Total mood killer. Since we left early, we happened to run into the band. They are all such cool dudes. Curt (the guitarist) was shredding in pajamas the whole time!! The guitarist and bassist are brothers, and now the guitarist's son plays rhythm guitar. I love how they are doing a family thing. We snagged some souvenirs and a quick picture before we headed back to rage the mansion again. 

Thus ends our crazy whirlwind trip and we are settled back in Tahoe! My next post will be about all the spots we've explored around this magnificent lake. Rachel is an excellent photographer and we've been taking a ton of film pictures. I wish I had them developed so they could go along with this blog, but I can't find anywhere reasonably priced! I will post them as soon as I get them developed. Stay tuned! 

Fare Thee Well

We spent the month of May working at festivals. After Suwannee River Jam, we worked Hangout in Gulf Shores, AL and StrangeCreek in Greenfield, MA.

Hangout was an easy set-up because the festival did most of the work. They had booths already set up for us and all we had to do was haul in our equipment. We were right in front of the BMI stage so we got to catch all the acts on that stage which included The Districts, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Natural Child. Natural Child had this one great song that was like "I don't want to fuck you, but I got to" and I can't find out the name of it. So if anybody knows... comment below. :) Overall, Hangout was a fun festival to work. There's no camping so our boss got us a sweet condo with like five pools, a game room, jacuzzis, and all that jazz. Our crew definitely took advantage of all the amenities. I probably wouldn't pay to go to Hangout, because I think camping is half the experience of a music festival, but it was really cool how it was right on the beach! There are so many babes and boobs at this festival because everyone is in their bathing suit. Our booth was between the two main stages, so we got to listen to some of the bigger acts. My favorite was definitely Beck, on the last night. We had started to break down our booth a little bit towards the end of his set and I was scrubbing a smoker to "I got a time bomb, ticky ticky ticky tick." It was awesome.

Zach and his beef tips!

For StrangeCreek, the next festival we worked, we had to haul it up to Greenfield, Massachusetts. It was a 26 hour drive!! Luckily, we got to stop in Ocean City and visit with Kyle's family for about 10 hours. Not much time to relax, but we made the best of it. Kevin's mom made us crabs, because you can't go to OC without eating crabs! StrangeCreek is a smaller festival, with around 8,000 in attendance. It is put on by Wormtown Trading Co., which is an event planning and retail company. If you've been to a festival chances are you've seen them selling rocks, tapestries, and beads. I loved the location for this festival--- a little farm that totally felt like we were at Woodstock or something. I believe this was the farthest north I've ever been and it was definitely colder than I imagined. We worked the nightshift and around 4:00am, it was cold! I was nervous about working the nightshift, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. There was a giant communal fire across from our booth, which kept us pretty busy until around 5:00am. On top of the giant, warm fire the stand next to us had a PUPPY!! My luck doesn't stop there! Throughout the weekend, I got to serve Zach Deputy beef tips multiple times and catch a little bit of two of his sets! What a weekend!!

The Spring Fling Crew!

From there, we made it down to Spring Fling in North Carolina, which is a family/friend camping trip my parents and their friends put on. The camping spot they picked this year was AWESOME! We were getting there in the dark and we were very uncertain if we were going the right way. We had no cell service, so we couldn't call anyone there, and the roads were all gravel. It just wasn't looking too promising, but sure enough we found their site. It was nestled in the Cherokee National Forest along the North River. We had a group of 16. At these shindigs, someone is responsible for each meal, so there's always plenty of dank food. We had our mountain bikes, so we took them out a lot throughout the weekend. We saw a baby black bear on one of our rides, both of our first bear sighting. We knew to keep going though 'cause the momma was probably around too! We found a really nice area in the river to sunbathe and swim. We also found out that the Donley Cabin was not far away. This little cabin is available for reservation for $35/night and is about .25 miles from the gravel road. It was a cool thing to stumble upon. One day we drove to the nearby town of Robbinsville to canoe on Lake Santeetlah. It was only $10 an hour to rent canoes at Deyton Camp. We paddled up to a few campsites that you could only access via the water, which would be a fun trip to do sometime. Overall, the weekend was filled with good foods, catching up, and time in the great outdoors.

Heading into Red Rocks wearing our Lettuce ponchos.

From there we spent a few nights in Georgia, packing up my car to head out west to settle down for awhile. We made our classic midway stop in Columbia, MS, where Kyle has family. We had a little mishap the morning we left when Kyle left his wallet, which has both our everything in it, on the trunk of my car. The wallet flew off as we were driving down the highway before we noticed. We backtracked and luckily found the wallet and all the cards that had been strewn about the highway. Road trip nightmare! Since then, we have been battling a chipped credit card and a broken National Park pass. We couldn't resist stopping in Denver, Colorado for our first Red Rocks show! Lettuce and The Motet, two amazing instrumental funk bands, happened to be playing as we were passing through. So we called up our friend, Emma, who lives in the area and has been to her fair share of Red Rocks shows, to escort us to our first one EVER! Both us girls had birthdays coming up, so we decided to celebrate the night of the show. The skies on June 5th looked dark and grey, which wasn't surprising considering that there was a freak hail storm the night before. The rain starting coming down right as we were heading in and people were turning back saying "they called it, they called it." We were not giving up that easily! We stood there in the rapids that the stairs had become in our Lettuce ponchos that I had made until they let us in. The weather cleared up perfectly and not another drop was shed from the sky. We somehow stumbled into the V.I.P section and had very front row for The Motet. They spent some time squeegeeing off the stage and leaf-blowing the equipment to dry everything, but then it got FUNKY! The Motet covered Jungle Boogie by Kool and the Gang and everybody lost it!! We raged it in front row for The Motet and got back in the stands for Lettuce. Either view is incredibly spectacular. I understand why Red Rocks is considered one of the most spectacular venues. When you're up close you see the backdrop rock, which looks like a tie-dye tapestry with all the lights on it. From far away, you can see the city lights of Denver twinkling in the distance. They look like tiny specks of glitter. There are two giant red rocks on either side of the stands, encompassing the whole amphitheater and causing the sound to reverberate and bounce in different directions. These rocks look like giant marsh mellows. The moon was out, as if the night wasn't already celestial enough. Lettuce was getting so galactic! I was frolicking up and down in the large concrete stands--- dancing and twirling, letting my hot pink negligee robe flap in the wind. It was a blast! Parking and getting home from Red Rocks can be tricky. Luckily, our friend's dad drove us and we all hopped in an Indian guy's van with 6 other stranded hippies after the show. We all made it home.

We shot up to the Vail area, where Emma lives, because the GoPro Games were going on. We were pretty beat after raging at Red Rocks, but we went for a couple hours and caught some amazing slack liners. Then we passed out at Emma's for like 14 hours until the next morning. Before trekking the rest of the way across the country, we stopped to visit a couple friends and the Edwards Freedom Skatepark, which has a beautiful mountain backdrop. During the snow season, it is transformed into a terrain park by skiiers and snowboarders.

Hanging out with Anna and Natalie in Golden Gate Park. 

Our original plan was to post up in Oregon, but there was nothing available in the town we had our hearts set on: Hood River. It's more of a summer town, so we are hoping more things open up in the fall. For now, we got a studio month-to-month in South Lake Tahoe. Our spot is siiiiiick--- so close to the lake, sports fields, a pool, a library, a bike trail, a tennis court, a skatepark. Tahoe is so beautiful in the summer and I am itching to get out and explore the trails that lead to a multitude of tarns. I wanted a word for mountain lake, so I looked it up and that's a tarn. In addition to Lake Tahoe, there are tons of tiny lakes tucked away in the mountains--- or tarns. I never knew that until I came here. I always thought it was just Lake Tahoe. Before we got to explore much, we went to San Francisco for a couple weeks. We miraculously got to meet up with our friends, Anna and Natalie. We hung out with them in Golden Gate Park for a little bit. Then our other friends, Phil and Ryan, were out here from St. Augustine, FL and they stayed with us for a bit!! I love running into friends so far from home. I spent my 21st birthday in SF! Woohoo, finally 21! I can go to 21+ shows now, so exciting. For my birthday, we went down to Haight Street and I got some fabric from a heady art store called Mendel's.

Have to stop by these beautiful stairs on 17th
avenue whenever I'm in SF!! See previous posts
for info. 

We went back to Amoeba Records and my dad funded the purchase of a few for my birthday: Nirvana's MTV Unplugged, Funkadelic's Cosmic Slop,  and Zappa's Apostrophe and Ship Arriving Too Late to Save A Drowning Witch. After some time hanging out in San Fran, we went to Santa Cruz for a couple days and surfed. We went to a spot called Pleasure Point. This was probably only my 5th time surfing. I made it past the breakers and all the kelp stuff that's creepy, but my arms get so tired after the paddle out! I'll get there. We moseyed around downtown and browsed in Streetlight Records. It's crazy being back in these record shops so soon after our road trip and finally being able to buy stuff!! At Streetlight, we got Meat Puppet's Mirage, Bad Brain's Omega Sessions, and a live Blowfly record. Blowfly is this old rapper that is super raunchy, but he was playing at Nobby's (a local St. Augustine, FL bar) the night Kyle and I fell in loooooove. I wrote about it in my blog when we were on the road trip and about how we couldn't buy it, but we got it!! Things come full circle. We haven't brought our record player or collection out here yet, but plan on getting it when we get Kyle's truck... going to be out here for a little bit!!

600+ Jell-O shots were made for the Fare Thee Well lot in Santa Clara, CA. 

We were glad to be back "home" in Tahoe. We celebrated my birthday with sushi at Off the Hook with a gift card Gussie and Tommy gave us. We got Sake and they hooked it up with a dessert for my birthday. PINA COLADA CHEESECAKE. I love Pina Coladas... This place had phenomenal sushi and a super nice staff. I recommend!! Every Thursday, walking distance from our apartment is an event called "Live at Lakeview." There's a beer garden, live music, and it all takes place on the shores of the lake. We checked it out for a bit, but couldn't stay long because we had 300 Jell-O shots to make for the Fare Thee Well lot in Santa Clara, CA the next day. For those of you not on planet earth, Fare Thee Well is supposed to be the Dead's final shows where everyone is playing together, with Trey Anastasio from Phish on guitar subbing for Jerry. It's a historical moment in the music community, consider how much the Grateful Dead has impacted the scene.

Crew on lot at Fare Thee Well.

We apparently got really lucky with parking. We ignored the signs in front of neighborhoods that said "No Event Parking," because can they really even do that? Then we stumbled upon a trail through a park and over a bridge that pooped us out right near the lots, which cost $60 to park in!! No one messed with our cars either. It was a solid spot and we did the same thing the next day. We rocked the lot with our Jell-O shots, made a few quick hundos and turned around and bought $30 tickets. The show took place in a stadium, so the seats were kind of nose bleeds. It was a bit weird seeing the Grateful Dead in a stadium. I felt like I should have been dancing barefoot in a field. We just wandered for most of the show, watching from different vantage points the entire time. The first night was supppppper spaced out and if you ask me they were only playing drums the whole time, haha. Even though we got home late that night, we still made 300 more Jell-O shots. We straight killed it. The second night we got tickets for only $20 a pop! It's unbelievable considering the face value on these tickets were more than $100 and some people paid HUNDREDS of dollars to get in. The second night felt like they played more actual songs instead of just jamming and getting spacey. Honestly, I'm not a huge Grateful Dead fan, but I am very GRATEFUL (see what I did there?) that I was able to witness history. After the last show, we drove back to SF. The next day, we skated to the beach and found ourselves back on Haight Street. There are just too many head shops, vintage clothing stores, and record stores not to go back more than once. I ended up getting some cool sparkly tights from this shop called Piedmont Boutique. This eclectic shop has the funkiest clothes that are all handmade in San Francisco. You don't see that very often anymore, truly a unique place. We also visited the Grateful Dead's house on 710 Ashbury Street to say one final Fare Thee Well. Kyle lost his glasses (shame, shame), so we made a quick trip on the Muni to get more glasses from See... always gotta support small, rad businesses! He settled on a classic tortoise shell pair.

Final Fare Thee Well @ the Grateful Dead's house.

Finally, we made our way back to Tahoe. We've got big plans for the month of July!! My first roommate/best friend/Gemini sister, Rachel, is coming to visit in two weeks. We get to show her our stomping grounds and I am beyond excited. We plan to visit the Redwoods again, see the Oregon coast for the first time, check out some more of Oregon including Portland and the Phish shows in Bend, do Phish at Shoreline, and Meat Puppets in SF. 'Til she gets here, Kyle and I are working on some artisan crafts to sell on the upcoming Phish lots. See you there!!

Road Trip Reads

It has been a very long time since I have felt this accomplished in the world of literature!! I read 8 books since we left for Costa Rica... I think that might be more books since I've been in college. ;)

1. Glass Castle // Jeannette Walls

I picked up this book at our hotel in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. I couldn't have had a better book fall into my lap. This is an autobiography written by the successful writer, Jeannette Walls, who has quite an odd and rough upbringing. She has literally risen like a phoenix out of the ashes to become what she is today. Jeannette Wall's parents were "different"--- and even though her dad was a raging alcoholic, her parents stole money from her, she lived in a house that had no roof in some places, she and her siblings slept in boxes, and were constantly moving from one town to another sometimes only having a stick of butter to eat--- she never talked rudely of them or placed blame on them. She simply recalls the events of her childhood in a story-like manner that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire book. You will cry, be completely pissed off, and laugh out loud during this book. Truly an amazing, well-written autobiography.

2. Scar Tissue // Anthony Kiedis

Another autobiography I scored at a hostel in San Jose, Costa Rica... this is written by the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis, and is a striking, detailed account of their time before and during the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Since Anthony Kiedis is writing it, you learn a lot about his childhood and life that you don't get about the other band members. At the same time, it captures well what was going on with the band as a whole. If you don't like the Chili Peppers or don't know much about them--- this book will awe you. The Chili Peppers story is truly one of kids creating a scene and running with it, capturing the attention of the youth. However, their story is also a story of addiction. They lost their guitarist to heroin and Anthony was next... It is the story of him getting clean and overcoming many heartaches throughout life.

3. The Red Pony // John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck... easily one of my favorite writers. I loved this short tale, but I'm not sure if I understood it completely. There were tons of lose ends for me, which I'm sure have some allegorical meaning, but it goes way over my head. The story is about a boy who is given a pony and a lot of crazy, random stuff happens that I don't want to reveal and ruin it. I think the point was that people have lost their ambition to explore or to "western" as John Steinbeck coins it. I love reading Steinbeck because it puts you in a time capsule. This book was set in Salinas, CA and we were around those parts when I was reading it so it fit very well: it talked of farm land and adobes, sending me back to Salinas in the 30s. All I've got to say about this book, is it is a great short story and I need you to read it and tell me what you got out of it, haha...

4. Catcher in the Rye // J. D. Salinger

This is a book that I decided to revisit. I read it in high school, but remember it as being one of my favorites so I gave it another go. And I was glad I did. This book is written ingeniously!! I love the main character, Holden's, narration of events. He's so blunt and uses words like "phony" and "anyway" a bunch. It is exactly how you would think a teenager in the 50s would talk. Catcher in the Rye is the tale that every adolescent goes though, in my opinion: dissatisfaction with the status quo, fear of the future, depression/confusion... basically growing up. In Holden's case, he probably didn't handle it all too well, but I'll let you read about it.

5. Snuff // Chuck Palahniuk

This is a book I borrowed off our reader/writer extraordinaire, Avery's, bookshelf. I could literally read every single book he owns!! I settled for this book by Chuck Palahnuik (author of Fight Club), because I hadn't read a book by him and well... sex sells and it certainly caught my attention. Snuff is the story of a porn star, Cassie Wright, who is setting out to break the record of how many guys slept with consecutively, which is 600 guys!! That's a lot of sex in a row. The book is told from the perspectives of 3 random guys in the waiting room full of guys about to have sex with Cassie and her personal assistant, Shelia. There are tons of plot twists including Cassie's possible son and the baby daddy might be in the line of guys about to have sex with her and she could possibly die. Despite the overtly sexual topic of this book, it's not too graphic and an interesting take on porn culture.

6. Oryx and Crake // Margaret Atwood

This was by far my favorite book that I read on our trip. I love dystopian/apocalyptic literature and this one nails it on the head. Margaret Atwood must be very well-educated and creative because the science fiction stuff she comes up with is so crazy accurate, you feel like SHE'S the mad scientist. It's hard to explain what I'm talking about without revealing too much about the plot... I feel like I could write a dissertation on the book, there is just so much to it!! To put it as simple as possible, the story follows a boy named Jimmy as he grows up in a future world where unethical science begins to take over until he is the only "human" left on earth--- or is he? Seriously, read this book and find out all the crazy things that happen throughout it!!

7. The Road // Cormac McCarthy

This is another one in the apocalyptic genre. I have a love/hate relationship with this book. The setting is an ashen earth, but it never specifies what catastrophic event happened. I hate when books do that, 'cause I wanna know! The whole story follows a father and a son in the hardships that they face. McCarthy does a good job capturing the gruesome details of what people will resort to, cannibalism, suicide, thievery, and how hard it is to find food in a scavenged landscape that can no longer produce food. The ending is a little "eh" in my opinion. Another one of those times where I wished it had kept going just a little longer.

8. Slapstick // Kurt Vonnegut

Now this was a weird book! One that I almost feel like I have to read again to fully grasp. I would say it's also in the apocalyptic genre because the world as the characters know it crumbles at the end of the book. It is about fraternal twins who are considered mentally retarded their whole life, but that is far from the case. When they put their heads together, they are one single, genius mind. However, they are separated and forced to live their lives apart. That's the best description I can give.









Please leave a comment below with some of your favorite books because I'll need some more to read this summer! 

We're HOME!

Okay... so we've been home for a couple weeks now, but we've been so busy it has flown by!

Crazy that our year lease here in St. Augustine is over May 12th and we're leaving even sooner than that... We've got to be in Gulf Shores, Alabama to set up for Hangout Music Festival by the 12th. Since we've gotten home we've been busy with Spunfest II (a local music shindig hosted by our very talented friends), having yard sales to get rid of all the things I (and Kyle too) have acquired living here for 2.5 years, working a festival at Suwannee called River Jam, and so much more. Before I get into all of that, we stopped THREE more places before we landed back where we started in sunny St. Augustine.

Where all the glass-blowing magic happens!

From Berlin, we drove straight to Asheville, NC, where Kyle's sister introduced us to two incredible glass blowers, named Sherm and Carla (a.k.a Gnarla Carla). We stopped through to check out their workshop and pick up a few pendants. Carla's "thing" is peaches and it just so happens that's my thing too!! So naturally, I love all of her stuff. Sherm specializes in swirly, staircase designs. I got a peach pendant and we got a Grateful Dead bear pendant for Shannon's birthday. Then Carla threw in a boognish pendant!! Did I happen to mention she also loves Ween?! I swear her style is so up my alley. I also got to see the PIECE OF MY DREAMS, which was a little water pipe with sparkly dichro rainbow tubing, a black and white staircase swirl, and then peaches on it. It was/is incredible. I might splurge and get a custom piece made after tour when I've got a little dough saved up... a girl can dream!

Sliding Rock when we were there, if you google older pictures
of it you can see how heavy the flow is right now!

After a quick stop in the studio, we had time left to check out a place called Sliding Rock, which is near Brevard, NC in the Pisgah National Forest. I thought I had been here when I was little, but it turned out there is more than one "sliding rock" in North Carolina. This one turned out to be great though. On the way, we drove by and stopped at a beautiful waterfall called Looking Glass Falls. When we got there, I definitely felt like it wasn't the place I had been to... Turns out, I went to the sliding rock near Cashiers, NC, which judging by pictures (and memory) is much less impressive than the one we just visited. In fact, when we looked up pictures of the place online, you could tell the water was much more powerful when we were there! It was fast!! Kyle tried going down like a penguin on his belly and pretty much broke his finger (or at least we think he did and it's STILL crooked).

Looking Glass Falls

Enjoying our King of Pops at Inman Park. 

Our next two destinations were short one-night stops in Atlanta, GA and Statesboro, GA to visit two of my oldest friends, Carol Ann and Bess. We arrived in Atlanta at Carol Ann's apartment in the evening, because we stopped for dinner first at one of my favorite Italian places, Ippolito's. I had been raving about their gnocchi and they didn't end up having it! We went to the Roswell location and I normally go to the Alpharetta location, so I am just going to tell myself they have it there and I will have it again one day!! All of their pasta is good, but get the Cardinale sauce, which is a mix of their homemade Alfredo and Marinara. After dinner, Carol Ann and I caught up over glasses of wine. The next morning, we got breakfast at a cute little joint called Highland Bakery, which we had coincidentally dined before when I came to visit. It was so good we went twice. The bakery is situated right next to the BeltLine Trail, which is a 33-mile path through the city. Not far down this trail was the Fourth Ward Skatepark, which is where one of Kyle's favorite skaters, Grant Taylor, often rides!! For being smack dab in the middle of a city, the BeltLine leads to some pretty cool stuff, I'd say. Plus, an awesome popsicle stand on the way back for when it starts to get hot. Carol Ann treated us to some King of Pops, which boasts delicious homemade flavors like thai iced tea and blackberry lemonade. Next stop on our Georgia tour, was to visit Bess in Statesboro, which is a very rural college town unlike the bustling city of Atlanta. We immediately went to get margaritas at a place called Retriever's. Later that night, we ended up at her boyfriend, Kyle's (yes, she dates a Kyle too!), land. The boys rode mules and four-wheelers while we reminisced and sang Elton John songs into beer bottles. It was definitely good getting to spend time with my best friends who I don't get to see very often!!

Freakin' sweet bowl at the Fourth Ward Skatepark.

This picture adequately captures Spunfest. 

When we got back to St. Augustine, we wasted no time planning a yard sale. Even though we had one on the same day as Spunfest II, we managed to get rid of most of our possessions. Spunfest was started by the members of a band called Hot Sauce Sandwich a couple years ago and the second edition just happened, which included a ton more bands including Hot Sauce Sandwich, Michael Armand Jordan, Earth House, The Cosmic Groove, The Greedy Lovers, What We Are, West King String Band, Jake Cox, Rob Langson, and MF Goon. All the bands are local St. Augustine musicians. Since some of my dear friends are in Hot Sauce Sandwich, What We Are, and West King String Band, I can say that those bands ROCK! I have seen them all multiple times and love every single show. Hot Sauce is kinda psychedelic rock, What We Are has grungy, girl-power vibe (two chick lead singers), and West King String is bluegrass. So there's something for everyone there! I've only seen Cosmic Groove like once and they didn't get to play 'cuz the fest got busted, but they are groovy as there name implies. Kyle used to work at a bar Jake Cox would frequently play at. He is a talented musician with a bit of a country twang. My favorite act of the night might have been Michael Jordan. It was my first time seeing him and wow... just wow. He completely blew me away. He's up there solo, just him and his guitar, and his voice is haunting and totally captures you! I didn't get a chance to check out the other bands, but this was a musical event at it's finest! There was fire hooping, a drink bar, and Planet Sarbez (the coolest local bar in town) was selling their gourmet grilled cheeses... what more can you ask for? 

Serving up the artist and production crew at Suwannee River Jam!

Right after Spunfest we had to get ready to work Suwannee River Jam, which was a festival of a whole different breed. When I go to the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, I am used to it being turned into a psychedelic hippie playground--- with sculptures, and vendors selling light-up gizmos, people on stilts, fire-hoopers, fractal artwork in every booth, tapestries decorating each campground. For Suwannee River Jam, they turn the park into a redneck haven--- vendors selling belt buckles, food trucks selling only sweet tea, lottery tickets for purchase, hell... even cars for sell next to the main stage, the roads are lined with supped-up golf carts everyone has brought from home. It was truly a new experience! There was even a daisy duke contest! I was working in artist catering the whole weekend with Outback Kate's (the company we'll be doing festival tour with this summer). I was serving up all the country celebrities, but had no idea who any of them were! I think I served the members of Alabama milkshakes though... pretty cool. Overall, the weekend was really fun and we kept getting compliments on how it was the best catering ever. I'd say that's a pretty big compliment coming from musicians and lighting crew who are eating ALOT of catering. Outback Kate's... the best vendor around, I'm telling you!! I can't wait for the next festival (Hangout Festival in Gulf Shores, AL) and the next festival and the next festival when things really start to pick up. 

You can feed the gators at the Alligator Farm dog food and they go nuts!

We made the best of our last few days doing all of our favorite things and even doing a few things I have never done before in St. Augustine. Of course we hit up all our favorite eateries and bars. We went to Taco Shop beachside on Cinco de Mayo and it was packed, but delicious as always. We ate at Flavors because I still have money on my account there! Flavors offers an option for students (or anyone really) to put money on an account and then they just take it off your tab. I have no idea how I have any money left 'cause I feel like we ate there all the time, but I ain't complaining!! One hot day, we biked downtown and got gourmet, homemade popsicles from The Hyppo. They never disappoint. When my dad came to visit, he took us to one of my favorite restaurants, Blackfly, that I don't get to go to very often 'cause it's a little on the pricey side. BUT SO GOOD! I went there to get their parmesan risotto and mussels, but neither were still on their menu. I was disappointed, but I got lobster mac and was happy again. I crossed a couple things off my St. Augustine bucket list by biking over the Vilano Bridge to the beach and visiting the Alligator Farm for the first time! Biking over the Vilano Bridge makes the Bridge of Lions downtown seem like a piece of cake, let me tell you! I was winded by the end of that uphill battle, but it felt so good cruising down and having the beach RIGHT there. The Alligator Farm lived up to all the good things I've heard about it. The park was founded in 1893, making it one of the oldest zoological parks in the United States. They have every type of crocodile and alligator from all over the world, even albino gators! Pretty cool stuff.. 

Me and Momma Jill... have to post this picture
even though I look hideous! I love her!

At night we hit up our favorite bars, Nobby's and Planet Sarbez. I got to visit with the best bartender, Shanna, and the owner of the Nobby's, Jill, who is like my momma! It was so good catching up with them and I was SO impressed with all the renovations they've been working on. The girl's bathroom looks like you just walked into a 5-star hotel. They are getting new floors, new paint, new everything! Jill is working on serving food from 4pm-8pm every night, which is also during their happy hours. Jill is from Greece and knows how to cook, so definitely go grab a bite and a drink! We played a few games of Galaga and PacMan at the Planet. We also ordered one of their delectable grilled cheeses. Normally, we get the Green Ranger which has apples and caramel. It is just the right amount of savory and sweet! We tried a different grilled cheese with pineapple on it, but I definitely still like the Green Ranger the best. The Planet is in trouble though! Ryan, the owner and a Flagler graduate, barely had enough money to start this beautiful hangout spot to begin with, but now that the lease needs to be renewed he doesn't have enough capital. Even though business has been doing well, music has been constant, and renovations and sick additions are being made daily... it may not be enough. If you've been to the Planet, you understand how special a place this is. If you haven't been, you don't want it to disappear before you get a chance to check it out. So if you have ANY money to spare (if 100 people gave $10, that'd be $1,000 and that kind of money makes a difference!!), please donate to Ryan's gofundme. I can assure you, it is a good cause. 

As my time here in St. Augustine is dwindling to an end, I can't help but feel nostalgic. It truly is bittersweet to be leaving this place: traveling across the country makes me realize just how special a place this is and what great people inhabit it. I am excited for the adventures ahead and to find out where the next place I call "home" will be, but St. Augustine will definitely be missed.